effectivelywildfandomcom-20200215-history
Episode 1160: The Podcast of Continuing Education
Date January 8, 2018 Summary Ben Lindbergh and his Ringer MLB Show co-host Michael Baumann speculate about how the slow offseason will end, answer listener emails about sabermetrics and salary depression, sumo wrestling and the Hall of Fame, and baseball in winter weather, compare the careers of Omar Vizquel and Nomar Garciaparra, and analyze unorthodox new Padres relief pitcher Kazuhisa Makita. Then Michael makes a case for college baseball, and he and Ben talk to Justin Volman, founder and CEO of the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network, about how he’s assembled and trained a nationwide network of (mostly) college-aged scouts to cover games that MLB scouts might miss. Topics * Computer model used to determine salaries * Comparing the careers of Omar Vizquel and Nomar Garciaparra * Signing of Kazuhisa Makita * Adapting Sumo wrestling honors for the Hall of Fame * Baseball played outdoors in the winter * Why should you watch college baseball? * Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network * Modeling the network after MLB scout teams * How to train younger scouts * Value Justin's network provides for teams * How to get involved with the scouting network * Value of getting writing or scouting experience Intro The Zombies, "I Want You Back Again" Interstitials Kanye West, "School Spirit" Modern Baseball, "Your Graduation" Outro Jefferson Airplane, "We Can Be Together:" Banter * Michael is joining as a guest co-host while Jeff is away on vacation. The Ringer MLB Show is on hiatus during the offseason. * Ben and Michael discuss the exceptionally slow offseason and the expectations players have for free agent contract offers. * Discerning the difference between teams getting smarter and possible collusion. Email Questions * Mark: "What if MLB players' contracts were determined by a computer model? What if a model from the moment you were drafted flexibly paid you what you were worth?" * Matt: "How would the method of honoring Sumo wrestlers translate to baseball? MLB could set statistical measures then appoint a commission to review and recommend candidates after each season. Then players like Kershaw or Trout could be recognized for their achievements and continue to achieve with that elevated status." * Jeff: "How different would baseball be if it were played during the winter?" Notes * Michael thinks that some kind of computer model which flexibly pays baseball players is close to his ideal but the main issue is that human bias would be coded into what outlines the program uses to determine salaries. * Kazuhisa Makita walked less than one batter per nine innings in his most recent season in Japan. * Errors in college baseball are about twice as common as in MLB. * Justin's scouting network is aimed at providing scouting information to teams on college baseball players who might not be seen by as many scouts. In addition it provides scouting experience to current students. Links * Effectively Wild Episode 1160: The Podcast of Continuing Education Category:Episodes Category:Guest Episodes Category:Email Episodes